Playing Strong Off The Rail: 3 Takeaways From This Year's First Tournament Win

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of playing in a rare local tournament here in South Forida. The case usually is that I’ve got to travel 2-4 hours minimum to find some tournament competition and stay in a good competitive stroke. Competition play is a great way to reinforce what you’ve been working on in your practice regimen so I like to make sure it’s not too long of a gap between tournaments.

It was the case that Lucky 7 billiards in Davie was having an event the same weekend as the season opener for The Florida Pool Tour which is run by Tony Crosby. I usually frequent those events as I get to compete against the best players in the state but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play an event that was only 35 minutes from my front door and be done in one day without having to foot the extra expenses in time, travel and lodging for a weekend.

The local event at Lucky 7’s was a good mix of talent from low ranked players, mid level league players and some of the toughest names in the region. The event is a handicapped 9 ball event and is not an easy nut to crack as a high ranked player. Myself, I was one of the top ranked players in the field which means I was giving up small spots to very tough names in the field who were ranked slightly under me, and very big spots to low ranked players as well. The handicaps jumped quite significantly every level of separation.

My last 3 matches in succession I gave out the 7,8 and one game on the wire; the 6, 7, 8; and the 6, 7, 8 and 1 game on the wire to make the finals. Needless to say when you’re giving up that kind of weight to another player, keeping control is essential and managing the score is also crucial to success. During each of the 3 matches I noticed a very important situation arise. Each one slightly different in approach and execution but all with one common theme… Playing off the rail. I’d like to share with you what took place and give you a little something you can use to incorporate this same skill set into your own game.

Skill 1: Power & Position

In this match I was giving up the 6, 7, 8 and 1 game on the wire to what seemed like a very capable older player who hadn’t missed much until this point in the match. The match itself was important because it would advance me to the final four on the winner’s side and keep me out of a very tough one loss side that included names like Pierre Palmieri and Rob Melrose, both very strong local players.

The match score was 4-3 my lead and my opponent left me this position on the table after making contact on a safety I’d left on the 6. Winning this game was big because it would secure a 2 rack lead and allow me the break to stretch the lead further in the race to 8 and give me some cushion against the 1 game handicap I was already giving.

Off the back rail slightly and an angle on the six. The cueball being too close to the back rail I didn’t have access to draw the cue ball so forward was my only option. The position of the 8 and 9 ball also make the shot difficult as it forces me to have to play 3-4 rails inside english at a high speed in order to cross the angle of the interfering balls and get position on the 7.

Final result was slamming the 6 into the top corner pocket with high left hand english and allowing the spin and speed to carry the angle 2 rails forward, then cross table to the long rail passed the side pocket for position near the bottom rail on the 7.

A big time shot that you need to have at your disposal just in case.

Skill 2: Accuracy & Striking

Final four on the winner’s side with a 5-4 lead giving up the 7, 8 and 1 game on the wire race to 8 games. In this situation I’m forced to take a long cut at the 7 ball from frozen to the back rail. Position lays natural to come 2 rails back up table for the 8 ball so the only consideration here really is make the ball. It helps in this position to come with a medium firm speed so you don’t allow the table to get you if you roll the ball slowly. The only option in my opinion is a medium to medium firm speed which guarantees the object ball makes it to the pocket and doesn’t roll off. This is a do or die shot and important because the game in the match is a “swing game”; setting the momentum and putting pressure on either player if you make or miss.

I was able to secure this ball and clear the table then come with a break and run to extend my lead to 7-4. Huge swing as opposed to 5-5 and your opponent breaking. See the suggested drill for building this shot into your routine below.

Skill 3: Strategy & Tactics

Knowing your game is important and using a strong skill set as a chess piece against your opponent can really put them under intense pressure mentally. At this point in the match I was up 5-2 giving up 1 game on the wire. I could feel my opponent sinking in his chair and almost in a give up mode from the way the early part of the match unfolded. That being said I was surprised he gave back this push out to me and feel it was a tactical error. Nonetheless it’s important to be able to do this to your opponent and it may earn you some important games in the future.

The table was pretty open however I didn’t have a clear shot on the 1 ball up table. So I decided to bait my opponent with a push-out off the back rail with the added difficulty of being tree topped slightly by another ball. The opponent slumped back in his chair committed what I thought was an error by not even getting out of his seat to see the shot and gave it back. The shot was actually quite simple and only required stopping the cue ball in order to maintain natural position on the next ball and continue the runout. I took the shot and extended my lead to 6-2 en route to winning the hot seat and securing the finals.

These situations come up all the time and being able to execute and respond when they arise will help separate you from your competition. Here’s a great drill I came up with that will help getting you comfortable playing and pocketing balls while being close to the rail. Take your money ball and spot it on the foot spot. Then place the cue ball on the middle diamond on the foot string frozen to the side rail. Go through your pre-shot routine, and make the spotted ball. Re-spot it and move the cue ball up one diamond along the side rail and repeat. Again move the cue ball up to the side pocket, then the next diamond, and the next and so on until you’ve gone around the table and reached the diamond on the opposite side of the foot string. Note that when you get to the center diamond on the head rail you shoot the object ball in the same corner pocket, re-spot and then shoot in the opposite corner pocket once you’ve passed the center diamond.

Reference Drill

I hope this helps give you some insight on some skills you can incorporate into your play to take your game to the next level. Please tag me on some of your videos either on Facebook or instagram when you execute the drill I’ve posted or send in any questions you might have regarding execution.

I hope to hear from you soon and happy practicing!

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